Biophytum
(from bios, life, and phyton, a plant; the leaves of one species being sensitive to the touch). TRIBE Oxalideoe of ORD. Geraniaceae. A genus of pretty and interesting perennials, differing from Oxalis, in which genus it has been included, in the valves of the capsule being patent and separate to the base. They will thrive in a mixture of loam and peat. Propagated by seeds, which should be sown in spring, on a hotbed. Probably the only species in cultivation is the following:
B. sensitivum (sensitive). fl. yellow, small. July. l., leaflets oblong, obtuse, mucronate. h. 6in. India and China, 1823. The leaves of this plant contract on the slightest touch. SYN. Oxalis sensitiva. (B. R. 31, 68.)